Inputs and outputs : engagement in digital media from the maker ' s perspective

Many academic fields would benefit from an aggregation of technologies that could objectively measure engagement on a moment-by-moment basis. To develop this methodology, subjective responses to stimuli must be shown to correlate with the component technologies, such as motion capture or psychophysiology. Subjective scales for engagement often fail to segregate the measurement of causes (inputs to the audience) and effects (outputs from the audience). This lack of separation can obscure appropriate inferences in the relationship between cause and effect. Inputs to the audience are scripted, and are controllable by the maker. Outputs are engendered in the end-user by the scripted experience, and outputs can include both mental states (e.g.